ABS Survey on Safety

The Australian Bureau of Statistics has released a survey of personal safety.

Based on the numbers below, there is a much greater problem of young men aged 15-24 experiencing violence than anyone experiencing domestic violence by any definition.

Note that the women's components of the survey were contributed by federally funded agencies, including a cabinet-level agency for women; while the men's component had to be funded through the ABS itself.

Based on these figures, the greater social issue for Australia would seem to be protecting men of all ages from physical violence since nearly twice as many men as women experienced violence of any form. (see table below)

The number of women who have felt unsafe at home is 13.4%, a little lower than the number as is internationally reported as the ratio of abusive relationships. -- And this number is far lower than the 30% to 90% that is put forward by sexist and discriminatory reports.

None of these numbers correllate well with Mr Hulls' and the Bracks' government's spokespeople citations about the health consequences of violence in the home for one simple reason: The studies cited by Mr Hulls and others purposefully and explicitly excluded any men's component.

MEDIA RELEASE

10 August 2006

Embargoed 11:30am (AEST) 74/2006

First national personal safety survey released today: ABS

Today the Australian Bureau of Statistics released the results of the firstnational Personal Safety Survey presenting information about women's and men's experiences of violence.

For the 2005 Personal Safety Survey violence was defined as any incident involving the occurrence, attempt or threat of either physical or sexual assault.

The 2005 Personal Safety Survey found that most Australian adults (95% of men and 83% of women) felt safe at home after dark.

About one in 20 women (5.8%) and one in 10 men (11%) reported experiencing violence in the 12 months prior to the survey.

Since the age of 15, 40% of women and 50% of men reported experiencing at least one incident of violence.

Physical violence: Approximately one in 10 men (10%) and one in 20 women (4.7%) experienced physical violence (includes being threatened or assaulted) in the 12 months prior to the survey.

Men aged between 18-24 years were most likely to be physically assaulted (43%).

The most common location for physical assaults to occur for women was in the home irrespective of the sex of the perpetrator (64% of physical assaults were by male perpetrators and 38% of physical assaults were by female perpetrators).

Men who were physically assaulted by a male perpetrator were more likely to have been assaulted at licensed premises (34%) or in the open (35%), however if the perpetrator was female then 77% of the physical assaults occurred in the home.

Family members or friends were the most likely perpetrators of physical assault on women (37%) and strangers were more likely to physically assault men (66%).

In the 12 months prior to the 2005 survey 35% of men and 36% of women who experienced physical assault by a male perpetrator reported these incidents to the police.

Sexual violence: In the 12 months prior to the survey it was found that 1.6% of women (or 126,100 women) and 0.6% of men (46,700 men) experienced sexual violence (includes being threatened or assaulted).

Just under one-third (31%) of those who experienced sexual assault were aged between 25-34 years old. The most likely perpetrators of sexual assault were family members or friends (39% for women and 44% for men).

The survey also found that:

• An estimated 27% of men and 56% women reported being harassed at some stage in their lifetime.
• Approximately one in ten men (9%) and one in five women (19%) had been stalked at some stage in their lifetime.
• Experience of violence(a) and feelings of safety - during the last 12 months 2005 Personal Safety Survey 1996 Women's Safety Survey(b)

	Men	%	Women	%	Persons	%
Experienced violence	808,300	10.8	443,800	5.8	490,400	7.1
Physical violence	779,800	10.4	363,000	4.7	404,400	5.9
Physical assault	485,400	6.5	242,000	3.1	346,900	5.0
Physical threat	392,800	5.3	162,400	2.1	284,000	4.1
Sexual violence	46,700	0.6	126,100	1.6	133,100	1.9
Sexual assault	42,300	0.6	101,600	1.3	100,000	1.5
Sexual threat	**5,700	0.1	34,900	0.5	44,800	0.7
Felt unsafe at home alone after dark	281,900	3.8	1,029,400	13.4	1,471,500	21.4
Felt unsafe using public transport alone after dark	404,600	5.4	544,800	7.1	384,800	5.6

(a) A person who experienced violence during the last 12 months could have experienced violence more than once. The components when added together may
therefore be larger than the total.

(b) Results presented are from the 1996 Women's Safety Survey (ABS cat. no. 4128.0).

** estimate has a standard error greater than 50% and is considered too unreliable for general use.

Funding for the women's component of the 2005 Personal Safety Survey was provided through the National Initiative to Combat Sexual Assault and Partnerships Against Domestic Violence - Australian Government initiatives administered by the Office for Women (OfW). The male component was funded
by the ABS.

Further details are in Personal Safety Survey: Summary of Results,
Australia 2005 (cat. no. 4906.0).